Group
G of the 2018 FIFA World Cup consists of Belgium, England, Tunisia and Panama. This
group looks less competitive than any other groups of the fixture. The main competition
is likely to be held between Belgium and England. Either of them is expected to
advance to the round of 16 as winners and runners-up. However, it is hard to
predict who between the two will be the winners and runners-up from this group.
Belgium:
Very
few football fans are aware of the strength of Belgium football team. The Red
Devils, who are currently ranked 3rd in the latest FIFA World rankings, will travel
to Russia as one of the favorites for the tournament.
They
qualified for the World Cup with an ease. Out of 10 matches, they won 9 while
drew against Greece 1-1. In their qualifying games, they scored 43 goals; Romelu Lukaku
of Manchester United and PSG’s Thomas Meunier scored 11 and 5
goals respectively. They along with Eden Hazard (Chelsea) and Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
are likely to play the vital role for the national team.
Since
1930, Belgium has qualified for the world cup 13 times, with their best
performance at the 1986 World Cup when they finished fourth.
England:
The
Three Lions (nickname of the England national football team) will make their 15th
World Cup appearance this summer, their sixth consecutive presence at the
tournament. At the previous World Cup, they were eliminated from the group
stage. This time, they will fancy to progress past the group stage. However, they
are not considered hot favorites at this tournament.
England
will be highly dependent on Harry Kane, captain of the England football team,
to avoid early exit. He became the second highest goal scorer in the recently
concluded English Premier League season. He scored 30 goals, two less than top
scorer Mohamed Salah. The Tottenham striker will have to lead his team from the
front. Other players who can play the pivotal role are Raheem Sterling
(Manchester City) and Eric Dier (Tottenham).
Tunisia:
The
Carthage Eagles are going to play their fifth World Cup tournament this year. However,
they could never move from the group stage. It looks like same thing will
happen this time also. They are expected to make at least tough competition
against Belgium and England. The question is if they can cause trouble against
the big teams.
They
finished first in group A in the third round of CAF. They qualified for the
World Cup without losing any match, with four wins and 2 draws out of 6
matches. Throughout the qualification, they scored 11 goals while conceded 4.
They had to beat Congo, Libya and Guinea to secure their spot in Russia.
Panama:
They
have become one of the two new countries to be qualified for the World Cup in
Russia. Because of this achievement, a national holiday was called throughout
the country. For being the weakest team in this group, they have the least possibility
to advance to the second round.
Securing
their place at the World Cup was not an easy task. Leaving behind the USA by
one point and Honduras on goal difference as both the countries had equal
points, Panama qualified for the World Cup. They won only three matches while drew
four and lost 3. Throughout the qualification process, they scored only 9
goals. Their overall performance raised the question if they can cause an
upset.
Date
|
Teams
|
Time
|
Venue
|
18
June 2018
|
Belgium
vs Panama
|
18:00
MSK
|
Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi
|
18
June 2018
|
Tunisia
vs England
|
21:00
MSK
|
Volgograd Arena, Volgograd
|
23
June 2018
|
Belgium
vs Tunisia
|
15:00
MSK
|
Otkritie Arena, Moscow
|
24
June 2018
|
England
vs Panama
|
15:00
MSK
|
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod
|
28
June 2018
|
England
vs Belgium
|
20:00
KALT
|
Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad
|
28
June 2018
|
Panama
vs Tunisia
|
21:00
MSK
|
Mordovia Arena, Saransk
|
Sources-
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